NHTSA Complaint #10605931 — 2008 VOLVO S40

MY SERPENTINE BELT BROKE ON 6/6/2014 AND WAS REPLACED. ON 6/20/2014 I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 60MPH ON THE INTERSTATE IN CHICAGO, IL WHEN MY VEHICLE STOPPED ACCELERATING AND EVENTUALLY STOPPED. THIS NEARLY CAUSED AN ACCIDENT ON THE INTERSTATE, BUT I WAS ABLE TO PULL TO THE LEFT SHOULDER BEFORE BEING STRUCK. I HAD TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A SHOP WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT WHEN THE SERPENTINE BELT BROKE, SHARDS OF THAT BELT WENT IN TO THE TIMING BELT AREA. THIS IS DUE TO A FLAWED DESIGN ON MY MAKE OF VOLVO. THE TIMING COVER IS NOT SEALED, ALLOWING PARTICLES TO ENTER THIS AREA CAUSING SEVERE DAMAGE AND NEARLY CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. I HAVE 20 BENT VALVES THAT NOW NEED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO THIS DESIGN FLAW. THERE IS NO TECHNICIAN SERVICE BULLETIN THAT WOULD HAVE NOTIFIED MECHANICS TO BE AWARE OF THIS POTENTIAL PROBLEM WHEN A SERPENTINE BELT BREAKS, SO MY MECHANIC WOULD NOT HAVE KNOWN TO LOOK FOR THIS, WHICH WOULD HAVE PREVENTED THE ALMOST $3,000 WORTH OF DAMAGE. THIS CAUSED MY CAR TO COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC, WHICH COULD HAVE RESULTED IN NOT ONLY MY DEATH, BUT POTENTIALLY OTHER FATALITIES. I HAVE REQUESTED VOLVO CORRECT WHAT HAS OCCURRED DUE TO THEIR DESIGN FLAW, AND LACK OF PUBLIC NOTIFICATION BUT THEY HAVE NOT AGREED TO DO SO. THIS IS A KNOWN CONCERN AT THE LOCAL VOLVO DEALERSHIP LEVEL, AS MY MECHANIC CONTACTED A LOCAL VOLVO DEALERSHIP IN ORLAND PARK, IL AND WAS ADVISED BY THE MECHANIC THAT THEY ARE SEEING THIS ISSUE ON NOT ONLY MY MODEL, BUT OTHER VOLVO MODELS AS WELL. THIS PROBLEM, IF IT IS NOT KNOWN TO MECHANICS, CAN AND DID CAUSE A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER IN THE VEHICLE. THIS INCREASES THE RISK OF A CRASH OR POTENTIAL FATALITY. AS YOU CAN TELL, I HAVE FEW MILES ON MY VEHICLE FOR IT BEING 6 YEARS OLD, SO THERE IS NO REASON FOR HAVING TO REPLACE 20 VALVES IN THE ENGINE, OTHER THAN DUE TO THE DESIGN FLAW. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. *TR